The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses bombers were the mainstay of the American Army Air Force in Europe during World War Two.
This past Monday Herald photographer Dave Ferrell and I had the opportunity to ride in a refurbished B-17 at the Thomasville, Georgia Airport.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses bombers were the mainstay of the American Army Air Force in Europe during World War Two.

This past Monday Herald photographer Dave Ferrell and I had the opportunity to ride in a refurbished B-17 at the Thomasville, Georgia Airport.

We watched as the large plane landed and lumbered its way to the tarmac in front of the airport’s main terminal.

Over the next hour we got a first-hand look at the plane and learned a lot about the plane and how it had made its way to the Liberty Foundation.

The Liberty Foundation, which oversees the operation and maintenance of the plane and is responsible for providing flights, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit flying museum and funds generated merely help offset these high costs. Pilots and crew are all volunteers.

First and foremost the plane itself is a movie star, having been used in the movie “Memphis Belle.”

That story centered around the crew of the Memphis Belle, a B-17 bomber that survived the battle over Europe.

The plane still is decorated as it was for the movie.

The Foundation’s B-17 Memphis Belle is one of only 13 B-17s that still fly today. The B-17 was dubbed the “Flying Fortress” as a result of her defensive firepower and saw action in every theater of operation during WWII.

The majority of all WWII B-17s were operated by the 8th Airforce in Europe and participated in countless missions from bases in England deep into enemy territory.

There were 12,732 B-17s produced between 1935 and 1945, of these 4,735 were lost in combat. Following WWII, B-17s saw combat in three more wars in Korea, Israel (used in the war of 1948) and Vietnam.

This plane actually did not see combat because it was one of the last 37 planes built as the war was drawing to an end. It was sold as surplus to National Metals Co. of Phoenix, Arizona for the sum of $2,687 and then sold to Fast Way Air of Long Beach, California.

After passing through several hands it sold in 1982 to Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation (MARC) where it was restored. In 1989 the plane was used in the Memphis Belle movie.

The flight, which lasted about 20 or so minutes, was an experience of a lifetime.

After boarding through the small door on the side of the plane each of the nine riders was seated along the plane’s interior.

We were told to strap in and the engines were started, and the plane taxied to the runway.

The four engines roared and the B-17 shook from all of the power and started its roll to lift off.

Once airborne the B-17 rose slowly over the South Georgia farmlands and leveled off at about 1,300 feet.

Once the plane was at level flight the passengers were allowed to move about the very tight space of the plane.

B-17s have open windows on each side where 50 caliber machine guns are mounted and wind rushed through the two side windows and the open turrets on top of the plane.

It was said at 20,000 feet the men wore heavy flak jackets and oxygen mask. The temperatures in the planes could get from 30 to 60 degrees below zero.

The ride was not bumpy, but you had to hold on to something as you moved about the plane.

All to soon the flight ended and we were back on the ground again. But not without the realization that the young men who flew and manned these planes were very brave souls who placed their lives on the line each time they went up in the air.

This B-17 is a flying museum of many thousands of sorties flown by American aviators throughout World War Two.

It is estimated that 46,500 men were either killed or wounded flying in B-17s of the over 12,000 planes that served during World War Two.

People have a unique opportunity to fly in a B-17. The B-17 flight experience is offered by the Foundation. It takes 45 minutes with approximately half hour in flight. B-17 flights are $410 for Liberty Foundation members and $450 for non-members.

It takes about $4,500 an hour, by the way, to keep this big bird flying.

The B-17 plane will be at the Thomasville Regional Airport’s Main Terminal Building at 882 Airport Road.

Public flights will be available October 26-27 and you can book those flights at 918-340-0243 or go to their website at libertyfoundation.org.